To think vets charge too much **title edited by MNHQ on OP's request**

[Looobyloo]

I took my 10 yr old cat to the vets earlier for a check up as she has seemed a little lethargic. Vet examines her and says she has a little arthritis in her hip and needs these tablets, one a day. I ask how much, she says £9 a tablet! Everyday for the next, however long she lives. £63 a week!

She gives me a free sample and says if they work she'll give me a prescription So I can get them online. I checked online, 49p a tablet.

We don't have insurance as we've never been able to get her to the vets for injections etc as she's very stroppy (she attacked the vet today)

I know people say don't have an animal if you can't afford and we do have a private cat fund where we put £60 a month into. But even then £63 a week! I'd be torn if it was life and death as much as I hate to admit to it.

Are vets just taking the piss nowadays?

I don’t know here you operate from but almost all vets where I live still push annual vaccinations.

I don’t think vets make any more money from Lepto 4 but that is what is being pushed now and there has been woefully inadequate safety testing and the reporting of problems is similarly woeful.

For years I assumed that there would be rigour in terms of the bringing to market and reporting and you scratch the surface and realise it’s flawed. The standards of clinical trials - both human and animal - is poor.

Do we live on a different planet? Anyway, what do I know - I’m not a vet. Carry on as you are and in the meantime I will stick with my amazing vet who I do trust

Re “collateral damage” - I can only assume that is the basis that you offer Lepto 4 as even the crappy trials show a higher risk of serious problems from Lepto 4 compared to Lepto 2. So in weighting up risk, the extra say 5 in 100,000 dogs damaged are that collateral damage in that assessment. Even the manufacturers acknowledge the higher risk now for Lepto 4. I am thinking you maybe don’t realise this.....

Well i can't praise our vets enough .Our DC cat got run over by some bastard who left him rather than try and help .It was pure luck he brought himself where he could be found by a lovely neighbour.He was really knocked about , broken jaw and awful swollen face but our vet saw him the minute we rushed through their doors , my DC in a awful state thinking they was going

Posted to soon 🙈 thinking they were going to lose their pet .Our vet has been nothing but amazing we have had updated phonecall every day and he will soon be coming home .Yes it has cost a lot but he is a family member and the vet was just so good with my DC .I think vets are worth their weight in gold well ours is anyway .They saved our beloved pet and for that we think they are the best .

@swansridinghorses

Hang in there, there are also some very decent pet owners out there who don’t start or comment nastily on unpleasant threads slagging off professionals who are doing their best to help animals.

I’ve had private messages today from several other veterinary professionals on this site who are depressed, frustrated and actually really hurt by some of the comments on this thread.

But I think it’s also clear that a lot of the posters on this thread haven’t bothered to read a lot of the posts and certainly haven't Bothered to read the links some of us have provided. There will always be people out there who would rather cling to their confirmation bias and ignorance than open their minds to the possibility they may be wrong.

Then there are the trolls, conspiracy theorists and the downright spiteful. All we can do there is be grateful that regardless of the stresses of our jobs, at least we don’t get our kicks from bullying others on the Internet

We all know the significance of ‘be kind’ and i’ve Seen it mentioned a few times on this thread - it makes me so proud of my fellow veterinary professionals - you’re doing great!

I am not a conspiracy theorist. But I think if vets have a reputation then it should be discussed

I have made it clear I have an excellent vet but they are increasingly hard to find.

swans out of interest, as you have fired so many questions at me, why do you think a sizeable minority of vets are sticking with Lepto 2?

Re “collateral damage” - I can only assume that is the basis that you offer Lepto 4 as even the crappy trials show a higher risk of serious problems from Lepto 4 compared to Lepto 2. So in weighting up risk, the extra say 5 in 100,000 dogs damaged are that collateral damage in that assessment. Even the manufacturers acknowledge the higher risk now for Lepto 4. I am thinking you maybe don’t realise this.....

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow
You clearly didn’t bother to read the VMD link I posted earlier then? Of course I realise this, but all drugs have side effects - no medication is completely safe and the 7 in 10,000 adverse effects rate for L4 is extremely low in terms of drug reactions. This also has to be weighed up against the benefits - protection against two strains of lepto that L2 does not protect against at all. On a population level, this benefit far outweighs the risks.

swans out of interest, as you have fired so many questions at me, why do you think a sizeable minority of vets are sticking with Lepto 2?

Actually it was me that asked you questions and you've Answered precisely none of them. However i’ll Give you the courtesy of doing so.

I think there are two primary reasons:

1. The risks of the serovars of lepto that are prevented by L4 vary geographically. Vets working in areas where those serovars of lepto are not reported may not advise vaccinating against them

1. Vets are running small businesses that rely on local support and customers - as we’ve seen from this thread many people are willing to believe the worst regardless of what we do so sometimes it’s just easier to give people what they want. Fundamentally vets can only advise on a treatment option - it’s up to the owners to make the decision and if owners insist on L2 then it’s reasonable for vets to offer it.

Don’t worry i’n Not holding my breath that you’ll actually have any answers to my questions...

You haven’t answered my questions.

As an aside, the two dogs I know who contracted Lepto did so within a week of their Lepto 4 vaccination. In both cases, it was said to be “coincidental”. It’s a bloody mess.

My vet won’t touch Lepto 4 either now. As I said, I trust her and we have an open discussion on risks rather than it by even being mentioned that Lepto 4 comes with it a higher risk.

My dog suffers from allergies and licks his feet. We rang and asked them if they could recommend an alternative medication other than doggie piriton as it wasn’t working. They said we would have to bring him in for a check up. They looked at him for two minutes (didn’t do anything beyond a quick once over), said the only thing they could suggest was a medicated shampoo, and charged me £70! Absolute daylight robbery for something they could have just prescribed over the phone. They know he has allergies as he has been in and out of the vet eight times lately to try and diagnose the allergy issue so I don’t know why they had to see him before they could give me the shampoo!

@Veterinari

FGS get a grip. You AND all those 'Veterinary Professionals' who have been allegedly Private Messaging you to tell you how deeply hurt, and thoroughly depressed they are reading this thread.

Seriously, if it's so upsetting and devastating and overwhelming having people challenge you, call you out, and pull you up on the inconsistencies you are spouting, then you would be better off not coming onto public message forums..

Calling people spiteful, bitchy, nasty, trolls, because you are losing the argument, (and because people are disagreeing with you and challenging you, whilst putting their own perfectly valid points across,) is not covering you in glory at all.

@Veterinari

And PMSL at you ordering everyone to 'be kind' whilst calling people 'trolls,' 'nasty,' 'downright spiteful,' 'bullies,' and feck knows what else!

People in glass houses and all that eh?

veterani I don’t think most vets reallywory too much about these issues or their reputations. They simply deny a link to the vaccine and, in any event, it’s not up to a vet to either license a vaccine or provide compensation if there is harm.

There are hundreds of dog owners alleging harm, petitioning and campaigning on the issue. In each case, they are told their dog’s death is coincidental. My friend’s dog died of Lepto and she has given up.

I think vets are seen that it’s licensed and off they go. I suspect most don’t know a great deal about it. That was certainly my experience before I found my new vet. The others simply told me Lepto 4 was safe.

I think vets do have a bad reputation sadly and it must be very hard for the ones that are genuine. The vet nurses seem exceptional however, in my experience.

It’s not just about vaccines. My dog needed a minor procedure and a sedative and she is young and healthy. When thy found out I was insured they told me liver and kidney function tests were required to check she would be ok with the sedative. I laughed at this - my child wouldn’t be offered anything like this on the NHS. They were quite happy to rip off the insurance company but if you aren’t insured, don’t offer the test. And insurance costs are ultimately passed on.

I’m sorry if I have upset you - you sound like you really care. Maybe you are one of the good vets. But for gods sake, please don’t use Lepto 4 on the small breeds

You seem very angry @Ravenblack
Are you quite alright?

I think Raven is frustrated. Most people on this thread haven’t been bullies or trolls. Just pissed off animal owners!

Happy to pay for genuine good service. Unhappy to be fleeced

@veteranari

Awww, the patronising 'U sound angry hun' comment. rolls eyes

How predictable.

Gotta try harder than that eh?

Only one person losing it on here, and that's you babe... Multiple posts justifying yourself. (And failing)

Crack on. It's quite entertaining.

You are coming out of it looking pretty bad though.

Just so's ya know.

fivefarthings reminds me when I was offered allergy tests costing hundreds for my dog’s ear infection which I then cleared up using antifungal ear drops off Amazon. £7.99 or £350? Mmmmmm

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

Thank you.

@Veterinari is just throwing out insults and patronising shit now, because they know they're losing the argument, and are being called out on it.

@Ravenblack, bloody hell, calm down. People are entitled to comment and post their own views.

@veterinari, you do a great job under often very trying circumstances. You have my respect and gratitude.

@Ravenblack
And PMSL at you ordering everyone to 'be kind'

Really where did I do that? You really do seem to be struggling with your reading comprehension this evening... That’s the second time in only a few hours you’ve accused me of saying something that I didn't... that’s the benefit of a written thread you see - you can actually check.

@Veterinari Stop wasting your time on this thread.
You're clearly a good egg and people do like to tar everyone with the same brush!
Im an RVN (15yrs) and I have met Vets that do have money in mind, but that is a minority. The majority of us love our job, go home thinking and worrying about our patients. This thread is shit.

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow That can be perceived as money grabbing , but if your pet has recurring ear problems this can be caused by allergies, so was worth a mention.
Vets have to try to be comprehensive. If they inform people about the potential causes of their pets symptoms then they are seen as money grabbing, if they don't they are neglectful or rubbish vets. Sometimes a vet will mention things like this so that you are more informed should the problem continue.

Having witnessed the utter dedication of my DD in her veterinary training (five years of very demanding full-time study) and the hours and hours of unpaid work placements she has undertaken during her university “holidays”, the ignorance and spite of some posters on here makes me see red.

Of course there will be a few bad or unscrupulous vets - no group of people in the world are all good, are they? - but the majority of the vets I have come across are devoted to their work, often at the cost of great personal stress.

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow
I think Raven is frustrated. Most people on this thread haven’t been bullies or trolls. Just pissed off animal owners!

I agree and haven’t Suggested that the majority are. There are however a couple of rather suspect posts which are deliberately odd (cat tooth?) and since the thread was originally title ‘vets Are robbing bastards’ and aimed to slag off an entire profession despite the fact that we are committed to helping animals and are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population then yes I think the bullying tone was set rather early

vets do an amazing job. But when my cat was ill we spent £600 on consultations, tablets then insulin. They wanted him on a drip at a cost of another £600 but we had to say no to that as he was not insured due to an existing condition he had when we got him . A week later they told us it was best to have him put to sleep. All that money with that outcome. 9 weeks ago and am still heartbroken.

@Elmo311

Don’t worry, i’m Off to bed - gotta be up early tomorrow to poison more pets and rip off more clients